KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Four Creighton men's soccer players were selected in the 2012 Major League Soccer SuperDraft held Thursday in Kansas City. Creighton tied Louisville with the most players taken this year, while the Bluejays tied their school record with four picks in the SuperDraft. Ethan Finlay and Andrew Duran were selected in the first round by Columbus and Seattle, respectively, while New England took Tyler Polak and Philadelphia picked Greg Jordan in the second round. Creighton remains the only college program in the nation to have at least one player drafted into MLS since the league's inception.

Finlay became the first Bluejay taken in the first round since 2001 when the Columbus Crew selected him 10th overall. Duran joined Finlay as first-round picks when the Seattle Sounders grabbed him with the 15th overall selection. Polak was the third pick of the second round, going 22nd overall to the New England Revolution. Jordan went to the Philadelphia Union with the 32nd overall pick.

Finlay finished as the runner up for the 2011 MAC Hermann Trophy, annually awarded to the top NCAA Division I men's soccer player. A two-time Missouri Valley Conference player of the year, he is one of only three players in Creighton history to earn NSCAA All-America honors twice in a career, as he was named a first-team NSCAA All-American this season. He led Creighton and the MVC, ranking 12th in the NCAA with 34 points and 13th in the nation with 14 goals in 2011. The Marshfield, Wis., native finished his career ranked fifth
in school history and seventh in league history with 43 career goals,
while he finished sixth in CU and 10th in MVC history with 103 career
points.

Duran, the 2011 MVC Defensive Player of the Year, was Creighton's started left center back in all 24 matches last season. The Mokena, Ill., native helped guide the toughest defense in NCAA history, as the Bluejays posted 19 shutouts and set an NCAA record with a 0.20 goals against average. Duran was named a second-team NSCAA All-American for his play in 2011, as the Jays allowed only five goals all year and teams
managed only 2.8 shots on goal per game against CU's stout defense.
Jordan, a two-time first-team all-MVC midfielder, was named a second-team NSCAA All-American in 2011 and was twice named an all-region performer. Jordan proved his versatility throughout his career,
serving as a shutdown defender in the middle, but also showing his
offensive ability by finishing with three goals and three assists for
the Bluejays in 2011. In his career Jordan started 60 of the 62 matches in which he played, including the final 44 matches

Polak, a first-team all-MVC defender, was honored on the NSCAA
All-Region First-Team for his play at left outside back in 2011. Not only
did the Bluejay defense set school, league and NCAA records and lead
the NCAA in shutout percentage and goals against average, but they did
so with flair, allowing only 2.8 shots on goal per game. Polak, who signed a Generation adidas contract and left Creighton following his sophomore year, joins Ross Paule (1997) as the only two Bluejays to leave early and get selected in the MLS SuperDraft.

Finlay and Duran join Johnny Torres (5th overall - 1998), Richard Mulrooney (3rd overall - 1999) and Brian Mullan (9th overall - 2001) as the only first-round SuperDraft selections in school history. The Bluejays also had four players taken in a much larger version of the SuperDraft in 2000, as David Wright (25th), Steve Bernal (34th), Tom Zawislan (50th) and Angel Rivillo (70th) were taken that season. The 2012 MLS SuperDraft consisted of only two rounds and 38 selections.

Creighton is the only soccer program in the nation to have at least one player drafted (supplemental draft included) into MLS since the league began in 1996. With four players taken this year, 29 Bluejays have been drafted by MLS.

Players not taken today, most notably NCAA record-setting goalkeeper and first-team All-American Brian Holt, will have a chance to be selected in the four-round MLS Supplemental Draft on Tuesday, Jan. 17.

NOTES: Ryan Junge is the only other Bluejay selected by the Columbus Crew (2007) ... Former Bluejays Junge, Paule and Andrew Peterson have all played in Columbus ... Duran is the first Bluejay selected by Seattle ... Polak is the fifth Bluejay selected by New England, joining Seth Sinovic (2010), Andrei Gotsmanov (2009), Matt Wieland (2006) and Johnny Torres (1998) ... Former Bluejay Brian Kamler also played for New England during his lengthy MLS career ... Jordan is the first Bluejay selected by Philadelphia.